I'm afraid I'm a boring novice looking to glean advice and information from you guys. I was wondering what my options may be after I complete the AFF course. I am aware of the diferent disciplines- freeflying looks good. What do you recommend? I am keen to progress in the sport - how much experience do you need to become an instuctor( I've heard 1000 jumps) + freefall photography?. I'm sorry my questions are so unspecific. If you have any advice or experience to answer any of them I would greatly apreciate this. Thanks, Duncan ( England)

Your first step after graduating AFF, your first goal should be to refine personal skills. Numerous books and instructional videos are available, but the best way to improve personal skills is to do a few jumps with a coach. In Britain they have the WARP Program. There are several coaching programs based upon the Canadian model, most notably Skydive University. Whichever cocahign program you choose, start by refining solo manuvers: turns, backloops, frontloops, French rolls, tracking, etc. Then do a series of coach dives to learn basic survival skills through belly-flying formation skydiving. These survival skills concentrate on tracking clear of other jumpers, waving off and opening a long way from them. Once you have mastered basic survival skills on your belly, you can decide whether to focus on belly-flying or freeflying. Continued belly-flying will put you on the fast track to become an AFF Instructor. If you opt for free-flying instead, then start with solo sitting, then stand up and finally head down.

You can become a static-line/IAD instructor with as few as 100 jumps, but most wait a bit longer. To become a coach, it would be nice to have at least 300 jumps, but skills are more important and entry requirements vary from one coach program to the next. You can become a tandem instructor after only 500 jumps, as long as you have been jumping at least 3 years. To become an AFF Instructor, you need a minimum number of hours of freefall, and it takes most candidates 500 jumps to acquire the ability to fly rings around a student.

The above advice only covers freefall skills. There is an infinite amount of equipment, spotting, aircraft, psychological, physiological, landing and competition skills that you can aquire through continued questioning. Stay curious. Curiousity will keep you alive. For more details, continue searching the internet. And, no. We do not consider your question silly. The only silly question is the one you were too shy to ask!

Rob - the original poster is in the UK, do you know the requirements for instructors over there? Are they the same as in the US? I know the license requirements are much higher, but what about the instructor requirements? I've always been curious about that..

I'm glad to see there are so many options and yes I will keep curious! Thanks for taking the time to help me out. The AFF course I hope to do is in Lake Taupo New Zealand- it looks pretty sweet. Their course consists of 25 jumps so there is opportunity to start honing my skills after graduation as you suggest. Thanks again.

Sorry guys, I don't know the requirements to become an instructor in any countries other than Canada or the USA, Prerequisites to become a tandem instructor should be the same worldwide. And I expect that prerequisites for AFF are roughly the same, but now I am starting to ramble. You should ask a British instructor, or heaven forbid, look at the BPA website.

Prerequisites to become a tandem instructor should be the same worldwide. And I expect that prerequisites for AFF are roughly the same, but now I am starting to ramble.

Well - I am only familiar with the requirements in the US.....and as far as I'm concerned, they are very outdated and way too low.. 200 jumps - Master skydiver? Maybe back when 200 jumps was a lot to survive.. 500 jumps to be a TM? Too low in my opinion.. 6 hours of freefall for AFF? Well, ok....most people with only enough experience to have 6 hours of freefall are weeded out of those courses anyways.. I do like the 3 years in sport requirement for a TM.. I know of a couple people that could've gotten their TM rating 8-9 months after they started jumping if it weren't for that requirement..

Am I the only one that thinks that the USPA requirements are way too low?

>6 hours of freefall for AFF? Well, ok....most people with only enough experience > to have 6 hours of freefall are weeded out of those courses anyways..

This is the big issue. The problem with the TM rating is not the number of jumps - after all, most skills required to be a TM involve gear operation, not flying skill. The big problem is that the standards are set too low. As Artie Paton once put it - "Didja ever hear of anyone failing the TCC?"

AFF JM's are regarded as excellent flyers because they have to be in order to pass the course. If we required the same level of competence in the TCC, we'd have a much higher level of competence in our tandem masters.